the inaugural weekend. >> really fun to be part of that at the armory. we all have these i.d. tags. you must have the best to get everywhere. >> have a great day. >> "starting point" begins right now. welcome, everybody. starting point this morning, inauguration day. live at the capitol as masses begin to gather on the national mall to witness president obama's second inauguration. from the oath to the parade to the parties, to the sell in ridrid cel celebs, we have it all covered. >> and all of the obstacles that could trip him up. big names, choice seats. inside the vip section.

you don't even need a ticket. >> lots of guests coming up in the next two hours. we will talk with new york mayor cory booker, john barrasso, berniece king and steve king, maine senator angus king, texas senator joaquin castro, nick cannon, coahost of "america's g talent" and my conversation with sonia sotomayor is ahead. are you watching a special inauguration edition of "starting point" from our nation's capitol. we begin right now. >> good morning. welcome, everybody. president obama kicked off his second term as leader of the free world. being joined by "early start's" john berman. and our chief national

correspondent john king and john berman. we have the turnout, not expected to match the 1.8 million spectators from 2009. about half as many people, in fact, the president's second time taking the oath in 24 hours. fourth time technically as president. you can see there, the president took the oath with his daughters and his wife watching. there is a requirement, of course, that he is sworn in on january 20th. that's why it's done officially, and then done for the public. the vice president joe dieden w -- biden sworn in by chief justice sotomayor. the first latina to ever swear in a vice president. what do we expect today?

lots of celebration, pageantry and some historic firsts. dan lothian following the day's events. how does it begin, where does it go, how does it end? >> reporter: a very long day. the president will start off his day at the white house, waking up, working out in the private gym, having presidential daily briefing on national security issues and other issues as well. and sit down for breakfast with the family, and then around 8:45, they will head across the street to st. john's episcopal church, a church known as the president's church. and often -- the first family attended service there. a couple hours later, they will head up to the capitol for the swearing in ceremony where the president and vice president will take part in the swearing in. getting the oath there. this is a public ceremony, of course, privately yesterday was when the vice president and president had the oath administered and then later in the afternoon, the president,

first lady, will take part in the inaugural parade and then head to the reviewing stand behind me, where they will watch that parade as well. a lot of things for the president on the docket today, capping off the day with the commander in chief ball and official inaugural ball taking place tonight. >> a long day and a really wonderful day. what's changed is the number of people. but, of course, also warmer, kind of good news. dan lothian, thank you, dan, appreciate it. the presidential inauguration festivities will continue. and cnn to take you live to the inaugural balls. celebrities and musical acts. cnn starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern. and today's historic and public inauguration is expected to be a little -- i don't know if you can call 800,000 people low key, half the number of people here four years ago. much, much warmer, something

like 9 degrees four years ago. so, so cold and now somewhere in the 30s. which is practically broiling, right, christi paul? she is talking to folks who have come out on the national mall. >> hi, how are you? i can't imagine. it's freezing here. i don't care. everybody jumping around and the sun is coming up. a beautiful sun rise right behind me coming up, across the horizon and a lot of volunteers have been talking about, you are right, crowds are lighter, a lot of people left at 3:00, 4:00 to get here, haven't had any problem, the parade might be another story, though. a lot of people are hoping to get over to the parade route and get a good seat, but you know they are few and far between. eight floats in the parade. four of them representing the home states of the president, vice president, first lady, as well as nearly every state being recognized or represented in the

parade with bands and infantries and all kinds of dance troupes that will be there. definitely a lighter crowd. everybody still so excited, as you can imagine, and as with the sun rising, the temperatures will get a little warmer for us, soledad. >> christi, right around noon. appreciate it. who are some of the vips expected to be out today? john berman following the bold-faced names for us. >> we've been watching them set up the chairs all morning for this on the west side of the capitol. best seats for the families, obamas and bidens, front row center, behind that the presidential guests. friends of the president's, and big donors, you can bet, and members of the cabinet. one member of the cabinet not be here. we don't know who it is. the designated survivor, just in case the unimaginable happens.

bill clinton, jimmy carter, no bushes, however. george h.w. bush recuperating from illness and george w. bush had to send his regrets. look at the blue carpet. yesterday they had vacuums in here cleaning up and the glass you can see right there, just minutes, wiping it clean to make everything look absolutely perfect for the ceremonies again. the president will take the oath for the second time in two days at 11:30 this morning. soledad. >> john berman, thank you. let's get to john king. hey, john. >> soledad, hello to you. i don't think it's so chilly. i'm with you on the weather front. a beautiful spring day in washington. let's get to the team joining us on beach day in washington. we have the former obama deputy press secretary, margaret hoover, and brian liza for "the new yorker" and ron brownstein

from "the national journal." we're going to head straight up to john borrasso, a conservative, and let's start with this morning. a new beginning for the president. is this a new beginning for the republican party. your leader, famously, infamous, started the first obama term saying the number one priority was to defeat the president. did the republicans owe the americans a more cooperative tone at the start of the second term? >> i'm looking forward to a time we can all work together. i hope the president hit the reset button for russia during the first term, i hope he hits the reset button with the republican party. a time with divided government, that's when you can do the most big things, i hope the president and the republicans work together to do something important for the country in terms of our debt, entitlements, crucial we do that for kids and

grandkids. >> both parties have internal divisions too. your party is trying to sort out mitt romney's loss in the election. a debate, some conservatives don't want a new immigration policy that allows those who came illegally to stay. some democrats don't want to touch medicare, social security. if you have a grand bargain who is the circuit breaker so everybody can talk together and things get done as opposed to confrontation? >> well, and this is the time to do it. there are big things that need to be done for the country with regard to immigration. immigration is the backbone of the country. that's what your country is built on. legal immigration. we have to move forward with immigration reform, marco rubio. >> senator, forgive me for interrupting, but as we move forward on immigration, your words, are you prepared, and do you think a majority of republicans are prepared, to give some legal status, whether

full citizenship or legal status, to the full 8 million people here in this country illegally? >> this is something that needs to be discussed and debating. we have been debating it and discussing within our policy lunches. marco rubio is raising a number of different ways we can deal with the issues we face on immigration. that's the backbone of our country. the sena i'm the son of immigrants, and thinking about this, my dad took me to john kennedy's inauguration when i was 8. he was a cement finisher, had to quit school in ninth grade. this country is built on hard working men and women, the sons and daughters of immigrants. immigration is key and important for our nation. >> senator barrassso, i appreciate your time. margaret, i want to start with you. cautious.

republicans said let's get things done. but when they ask specific questions, are they ready? the conservative base says amnesty, no how. and marco rubio saying we have to fix this problem. will they move far enough? >> in the past, you're right. no way, no how. but the tone and tenor has changed. republicans have traditionally actually under george bush's administration had a great reputation with latinos and hispanics. this is opportunity to maybe cobble the support back and i don't think they will waste the opportunity. have you marco rubio coraling support. >> will they help the republicans to not do things that make them feel they have to pull back? or does he want to exploit where he thinks he has the upper hand with the republicans in disa

ray. >> the president will do as much as committee to he ca he can to can. republicans have a crisis in their politics. when your nominee only gets 25% of the hispanic vote, have you a huge problem with the fastest growing part of our electorate. >> stimulus and health care out of the box in the obama first term, and republicans pulled back and said we're not going to work with this guy anymore. what is the key in the second term? >> immigration, substantial common ground for political reasons if not any other. republicans, and 59% of white voters, they have to change something. but in terms of sequencing, the critical question is the house, and john boehner twice in the last few weeks has had to bring a bill to the floor that a majority of house republicans oppose. that doesn't happen very often. likely on immigration, you can

get 60 votes for comprehensive reform, probably puts bainer in t the same position. there are only so many times you can do that and remain speaker. the important sequencing has begun with the sandy and fiscal cliff votes. >> we'll stick with the metaphor. warming in cooperation or chilly confrontation? >> the incentives nationally for republicans are to do something about immigration. but if you are -- your average house member up there, you just won your district. probably did not support barack obama, and frankly your incentives are not aligned with the national party. you don't care about whether chrissis chriss christie or marco rubio gets support. pundits and grassroots and a lot of members will decide the issue

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good morning. welcome back to the special coverage of the president's inauguration. president obama's second term now officially under way. potential for great achievements. >> but if history is any indicator, the seshlcond term i also where things can get pretty messy. not like he wasn't warned. >> i'm more than familiar about all of the literature on presidential overreach in second terms. >> reporter: president barack obama's victory dance is about to become a dance with destiny. >> we look back at really great things being done in president's second terms. but if we look back in recent terms, there is a chance for disaster. >> i did not have sexual relations with that woman.

>> reporter: a lot of times, second terms end up with second-rate ratings. just ask president bush. approval rating dropped 25%. >> if approval numbers drop below 50, you will see the white house press corps turn more hostile. planning to get as much done in the early portions of his term is key. >> mr. president, i'm grateful for this opportunity to serve our country again. >> reporter: obama faces nomination fights a divided congress and this. >> the president will either rise and fall about the economy. >> reporter: obama is off to a head start with his current approval rating higher than his first term average. but he still faces fights over gun control. and immigration reform. >> this is when presidents

really get tested, when unexpected things happen and they have to react on the spot, in real time. we get to seat real character of a president. >> just 16 presidents have been elected to a second term, including some of the great ones. obama, the 17th, will now get his shot at greatness, or not. you know, both gentlemen agreed that tackling the economy was first priority. they said in order for president barack obama to leave the democratic party stronger, he has to pass immigration reform. that's what you were talking about a while ago. >> isn't that one of the big questions? is his goal his legacy? or is his goal a democratic legacy? >> one guy said within a year. have you a year to really make your mark. the other guy said maybe two years. >> get into the six-year itch in

washington. soledad, the first key comes from the president today in the speech that he gives right where you are later today. >> that's absolutely right. you pose a great question. let's pose it to newark mayor cory booker. does the president focus on his own agenda or focus on really helping democrats down the way? we'll talk about that, when we come back from commercial break in a moment. also, we'll talk about the supreme court justice sonia sotomayor, talking about her story, going from projects to the capitol. can she remain unbiased? our one-on-one conversation, straight ahead. with the spark cash card from capital one,

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welcome back, everybody. you are watching our special coverage of the presidential inauguration. look at that sunrise over washington, d.c. that can be called nothing but a beautiful shot with a capitol right there, a balmy 33 degrees, although they say with the windchill,

feels like 26 degrees here. much, much warmer than four years ago when i was freezing out here, along with mayor cory booker. >> my toes will still not forgive me. >> a pretty miserable experience in terms of the weather four years ago. nice to have you with us. john king posed this question. as someone heads to a second term, thinking about their legacy as president and trying to make sure democrats keep -- from the president's perspective, keep the white house. how do you navigate the second term? do you believe in the second term curse? >> i really don't. i think for president obama, there is a great path before him to deal with immigration reform, to deal with the debt crisis, to see our economy grow, and they have a lot of good ideas for economic growth and a lot of international issues he will stand up and lean on. >> if i add gun control and climate change to that, and talk about energy, right there, a very big to-do list, some people say, yeah, a year, two, before

it becomes very lame duckish. really? six major items? >> a lot of consensus on the country despite the divisive issues. on guns, a lot of consensus ground to do a lot of positive things to make cities and places across america safer. consensus on jobs and on foreign policy, making america stronger in trade and national security. >> the way you talk it makes it sound as if we don't have a really divided congress. talking to people on both sides pretty much every day of my work day. >> nothing worthwhile is easy and every inch of ground the president has to gain. but a lot of wind at his back right now and i won't say he will do lay-ups, but this president delivered through his first term. he has been able to do a lot in the first term. the second term will be a good one. >> do you think we'll hear in the inauguration address that talks about that?

will you hear -- they told us, unity and hopeful. that's about it. but do you think you will hear -- he will talk about reaching out an olive branch to republicans? >> this is a republican i have heard talk about the importance of america americans to step up. democracy is not a spectator sport. he needs all of us to be involved. all of us need to step up and play a role in the destiny of our country. in the end of the day, this is one of the greatest speakers we have seen in my generation and i'm confident he won't only lift us up, but challenge as the country as well. >> i find the inauguration speech the best part. even if the person speaking is not a great speaker. and this is a really interesting thing. >> great day. democrat, republican, independent. great day for america. the smooth transition of power, all eyes focused on one singular

message. i think it will be extraordinary. very upset you turned down the chance to read a poem. >> since i haven't written a poem since third grade, i feel that richard blanco would be a much better choice. >> not even a haiku today? nothing? >> nothing. i had watch. still ahead, you will remember four years ago, the crowd made history, nearly 2 million people were packed in this mall. look at the pictures there. this time around, how big will it get? we'll take you on a tour. and i'll speak to bernice king as the nation marks mlk day. that ahead. back in a moment.

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welcome back, everybody. you are looking at the folks beginning come out on the mall on washington, d.c. a balmy 33 degrees. we're told it feels like 26 degrees here. the sun has come up. it will get a little warmer this morning. look at the folks out there. expected to see a crowded mall

this morning. joined by mayor cory booker. kicking off his second term as leader of the free world. john berman, chief national correspondent john king with us also. and reporters blanketing washington, d.c., dana bash, christi paul, brianna keilar, and suzanne malveaux along the parade route. the turnout not expected to match the 1.8 million spectators from 2009. estimates roughly half. somewhere around 800,000 people. and as christi paul says, nothing to sneeze at. the fourth time as president of the united states, president obama will take the oath of office. first time, the president, his wife, and two daughters looking on. he has to be sworn in on january 20th. the vice president joe biden was sworn in by sonia sotomayor. made history as the first latina to swear in a vice president. here is looking ahead.

the first family starts the day with a service at st. john's epit copal church at 8:45. and the president is sworn in 11:55 eastern time. and the presidential address at noon and later at 2:35, lead the inaugural parade down pennsylvania avenue to the white house. and then the balls and all the partying begin. we begin with john king, a look at what else is happening today. hey, john. >> hello again, soledad. the balls and parties begin after the ceremony. a bit of a break with before we to party. we have the traditional congressional lunch with leaders and then time for the big parade down pennsylvania avenue. suzanne ma suzanne malveaux takes us through the parade route. >> prime real estate, ninth and pennsylvania. you know this is about a mile

stretch or so where the capitol, fr from where he takes the oath of office down to the white house. a lot of excitement and anticipation. very likely the president, vice president, their wives will get out of motorcade and greet people along with presidential route here and there is a lot of anticipation, people who get these spots are very lucky folks, they have been out here, i can tell you since 5:00 in the morning. one of the security checkpoints, we had a chance to see a lot of folks gathering. about 500 or so. think about tsa, airport, getting through. that's the kind of security you have to get through to get this close. what are we talking about? 8,800 people following the president, the vice president and the motorcade down here. we've got floats, talking about things like the hawaii state float. of course, the birthplace of the president, there will be representation of a big volcano on that float. the illinois state float in

honor of the first lady, michelle obama, the pennsylvania float, mlk float, you name it. and they have 200 animals we're told will be on the route. military bands, kids on unicycles. you name it, are y you are goine it. people excited, trying to get through to this location. be patient. it will take a while. but at least it is not as cold as four years ago and not as many people. john. >> everybody seems hung up on that. not as cold as it was four years ago. i like the cold, but not as cold as four years ago. >> a balmy 33. >> at the moment -- balmy 33. a lot of people will make their way to the parade. trying to get prime locations on the national mall. christi paul, people gathering, and you can tell by being here. more people out at this point four years ago, a smaller crowd but happy crowd, right?

>> oh, my gosh, yes. and look at the sunrise. looks like the sky is on fire. people dancing, because you can hear the music, people carrying flags and tommy williams, one of our service members with the mari mari mari marine corps thank you for your service. >> thank you, christi. >> why did you want to experience this first hand? >> i am local now, and my wife and i wanted to partake in the festivities of the inauguration. >> a thing on our website, and i want you to finish the headline for us. the headline on this particular page is second term i hope obama -- you finish it. second term, what do you hope obama does? >> i hope president obama, my commander in chief, able to get to the second part of his agenda during his first term, he wasn't able to execute all of it.

that's all i hope for. >> thank you, tommy williams with the marine corps. you can see, everybody congregating, all ready to go. back to you, john king. >> a lot of great energy out there. let's talk to the panel about the presidential expectations. you served the president in the first term. he has 18 months, two years, depending on other events. what is it that he needs to say today? his biggest moment today is the speech. and trying to moe things in the building behind him, the capitol and trying to bring the american people together. what is the singular goal today? >> the challenge for the president, he has a divided government. and the country more divided than historically. even harry truman had a 69% approval rating, and the president only 52%. his challenge, talking to the american people about the big

things we need to get done and dragging congress along with him. >> huge expectations for the president four years a, making history, had a democratic majority in both the house and senate. and maybe he raised expectations too high. change washington like that. now what? >> the challenge in any inaugural address is to not be too broad. make it tight and concise. george w. bush did this. the headline was freedom agenda. from clinton, bridge to the 21st century. we'll see what president obama's headline will be, make it tight and concise so it's memorable. >> recovery is in low gear. we have a lot of big question marks, many centered in middle east and north africa. not all of them. expectations, high, low, we don't know? >> after the last two years, keeping the government open would seem an accomplishment. expectations pretty low. the president i think does have

some opportunity here. closely divided country and government. but a democratic party that has won the popular vote five out of six times. a consistent and cohive coaliti coalition. and we may have an opportunity to create fissures and get things done. >> you can see i'll be watching for today, a great irony, and obama, ever since the 2004 convention speech, has been presenting himself as the person who can bring people together. that will not be his lasting achievement. it will be legislation, it will be his agenda, and i'll be interested to hear what he has to say about the divide in the country, the divide that has marked his time in office. >> democratic majority that solidified at the presidential level. >> the tone, we all agree, the tone more important than any one specific or two specific proposals. let's turn things back over to john berman. >> hey, john.

whether it's crowd control or the absolutely pristine blue carpet behind me where president obama will take the oath of office later on today, nothing is left to chance when it comes to the inauguration and we got an inside look at the preparations that went into today. dana. >> that's right, john. i am actually inside one of the key places that we will see a lot of the events. in fact, the vips will be walking. i'm in the capitol rotunda. this is one of the places where we will see a lot of the preparations take place behind t the scenes. no, that's not the president. it's a standin. this is the kind of exhaustive prep going on to make sure there are no mistakes. not just for the president. chuck schumer is the event's emcee. >> i don't want to do what chief justice roberts did. he's a brilliant man, sxhesed

up. >> reporter: roberts messed up the oath four years ago. >> faithfully the office of the president of the united states. >> the office of the president of the united states faithfully. >> reporter: he had to go over to the white house for a do over. what are you afraid of messing up? >> not getting up at the right time. >> reporter: schumer has been preparing for the day for more than a year. >> it's always done in a bipartisan way. >> reporter: central focus? try to avoid problems that put a dahmer on the last o damper on things that were on the last inauguration. >> we have gotten some things, like get rid of the infamous purple tickets. thousands were stuck in a tunnel, and they missed the whole thing. >> hordes of people coming to watch, like adding cell phone

towers for better reception and port-a-potties, 505 to be exact. but behind the scenes, prepping for inauguration is also about preserving memorabilia for history. that's diane's job as senate curator, she collects as much as she can from the event. even the carpet that the president stands on. you saved the carpet? >> um-hum. >> caller: absolu absolutely. it's in the national archives. in 200 year's time, somebody can say that's exactly the color, the make, we get all of the information about it. it sounds like -- >> a lot of detail for the average person. >> in 200 years, someone will say, great, i'm glad we have that for the record. >> reporter: history in the making. and i mentioned, i am in the

capitol rotunda, traditionally presidents walk through here pretty soon after they take the oath. other very interesting thing will go on behind here, that is statuary hall where the post inaugural lunch will be, the most exclusive ticket of all of the ceremonies, only 220 guests. guess what? the president himself only gets to invite a little more than a dozen people. >> president only gets a dozen people. wow, amazing. all of the preparations that go down to the very small level. doing some work on the podium behind me. where the president will be speaking. all preparations going on until the very last minute. let's go down to soledad o'brien a few rows behind me. >> yes, i am. and today marks the second time that martin luther king jr. has intersected with the inauguration. i will speak with mlk's daughter, bernice king about the tributes happening for her

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welcome back to our special inauguration coverage. for just the second time, the inauguration intersects with martin luther king jr. day. a number of events commemorating the icon are today, of course. bernice king, daughter of the civil rights leader joins us today. your father's personal bible is used in the swearing in today, along with a bible that belongsed to abraham lincoln. tell me about your father's bible. >> that bible is at least 59 years of age, because in it are markings. such as 5-10-54. he was using this as a bible to meditate and pray and prepare himself for leadership in the

church. very tattered. we did a little repairing on it, restoration, so it wouldn't fall apart when the president places his hand on it. >> that would be a bad thing to happen in the middle of the inauguration ceremony. i know you are preparing to speak at ebenezer church today, because, of course, what a great coincidence of timing, today we also celebrate your father's legacy as well, on the same day we inaugurate a president. what will you talk about? how do the two things intersect for you? >> first and foremost, the fact that the president is using daddy's bible is heart warming for me. my father was first and foremost a preacher, pastor, it reminds people of that. that is one of the things i will stress today. we must remember the pastor and preacher, and my father was such a healing lead eer, and so was abraham lincoln.

the nation so divided, he is in one of the interesting positions where we'll have to find a way to bring the nation together to heal the nation. i will call for healing and reconciliation, in light of the gun discussions and discourse going on now, that we've got to really consider creating a more nonviolent society. >> berniece king, nice to see you. even if it's from a distance. thank you for being with us. >> thank you, soledad. >> you bet. >> interesting to hear bernice talk, and a lot of opportunities to chat with her over the years. think back 50 years ago, people filling the mall for the march on washington. >> yes. yes. my mom was an organizer for the urban league for the march on washington and tells me how powerful it was to have hundreds of thousands of people descend on the nation's capitol at that time. now you come and on the mall, a monument to martin luther king himself. his spirit is present today.

african-american president being sworn in, down the mall. a monument to martin luther king. >> with the bible. daddy king's bible as she said. >> an extraordinary feeling, and, you know, king did not march for black justice. he really marched for principles and ideals to be true for everyone. nice to see uniform principles resounding through the ceremonies today. >> speaking of universal principals, the story of a woman who group in the projects and a path that went to princeton, yale and eventually right to the supreme court. she credits affirmative action with helping her get there. so when the issue comes before the supreme court, probably in march, how will she rule? we'll talk about justice sonia sotomayor, straight ahead. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors

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welcome back, everybody. from growing up in the projects to an alcoholic father to princeton, where he was accepted thanks to a new affirmative action program at the time, sonia sotomayor's journey to the supreme court was not an easy one. she chronicles her life in her

new book "my beloved world." i had a chance to sit down and talk with her about her world and her past. sonia sotomayor grew up in the projects, known as bronx. 28 buildings made up of seven floors, eight apartments each. her mother arrived in the united states from puerto rico as a member of the women's army corps. knowing little english, she landed in new york, where she met juli sotomayor, fell in love, and got married. baby sonia followed, and soon after her brother junior. but it wasn't an easy life. her father was loving but an alcoholic. her mother worked six days a week as a practicing nurse. sonia often found she had to fend for herself. despite setbacks like her father passing away when she was 9 years old, sonia sotomayor graduated v ed valedictorian an landed at princeton as part of the university's new affirmative action program.

>> there are virtually no latinos, no professors, no administrators, virtually no students -- what did that feel like to you? >> as if i had just landed in a different universe. i was an alien. everyone around me was so totally different in looks and backgrounds from anything i had been exposed to in the tiny microcosm of my world in the bronx. so to land in a place like princeton with its collegiate architecture, its grandeur bigger than anything i had ever experienced in the places that i lived, it is so foreign that you really feel like an alien. >> was it hostile too? you write this. "the daily princetonian routinely published letters to the editor lamenting the presence on campus of affirmative action students, each one of whom had presumably displaced a far more deserving

affluent white male and could rightly be expected to crash into the gutter built of her own unrealistic aspirations. they were vultures circling." >> if i was the only woman, i was also the only minority in many classes. you can't avoid feeling different. it is a given. and does everybody intentionally try to point out their differences? no. >> if you've had an experience in affirmative action, your book is all about those experiences through your life, and now as a supreme court judge, you will rule on a case about affirmative action. there are people who say, how can you not come in with a preset opinion on it since this is your life experience? >> every judge has life experiences. we don't say to a judge who's had a physical illness, you can't judge a case about disabilities. we don't say to a judge who has

felt betrayed or denied something because of affirmative action, you can't hear this case. you trust -- and i think rightly -- in our system of rule of law in appreciating that judges are aware of the things that might influence them and understand that they have an obligation to ensure that their decisions are not based on their personal feelings, but based on the law. >> what do you think justice clarence thomas, who also has written about his experiences with affirmative action, and he uses the words "humiliating" when he describes his experience. it's the polar opposite of your experience. why do you think he has a completely different experience? >> was it? i mean, my book talks about the negative aspects of affirmative action, the stereotypes, the feelings -- and i use the word

in my book -- of being expected to feel shame. >> and you engage people. you don't seem ashamed. you took them on. you explained, here is why you are wropg. >> well, that's because that's what i came out of the experience with, and i want people to understand that there's a flip side to shame. >> do you think you ask too many questions in the court? i mean, there are people who have said -- justice thomas is one -- that there's a lot of questioning, and he thinks it's distraction. >> well, i know that he has a different opinion than i do. he doesn't ask any questions. and some say i ask too many. i think i'm finding a happy middle ground, and i think many of my questions make people think about the issues in a different way. and i don't ask my questions to forecast an outcome. i do it to ask each side what

they think are the hardest questions so i can address those questions, and as i explained earlier, convince me. >> oh, this is amazing. this really to me is the hope of america. she symbolizes so much of the truth of what our country is about but also can be about. and the story today is, i think, perfect for her to make history as the first latina to swear in a vice president. but more importantly, her ascendancy to the court really is more light to this extraordinary day. >> she wants to be a role model. she talks about that a lot. cory booker, nice to have you this morning. certainly appreciate it. >> always glad to do it. >> the president is 40 minutes from arriving at st. john's church for the morning service there. it's the first step in a series of inauguration day events. we're going to bring that to you live when we come back. to the best vacation spot on earth.

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